The ECB was located in Ispra, Italy, within the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission.
Some of its activities were taken over by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA); others remained within the Joint Research Centre.
[2] The mission of the formerly known European Chemicals Bureau (ECB) was to provide scientific and technical support for the conception, development, implementation and monitoring of EU policies on chemicals and consumer products.
It also developed guidance documents and tools in support of the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) Regulation, the Testing Methods Regulation, the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), the notification of new substances, the information exchange on import and export of dangerous substances, the development and harmonisation of testing methods and the authorisation of biocides.
The "Existing Chemicals" Work Area provided technical and scientific support to the European Commission concerning the data collection, priority setting, and risk assessment steps of Council Regulation (EEC) 793/93.